Medical aspirant ends life in Salem fearing NEET exam

COIMBATORE: An 18-year-old medical aspirant committed suicide by hanging in the hostel room of a private school in Salem on Monday fearing failure in the NEET exam.

The deceased M Chandru was preparing for the exam by attending classes in the NEET coaching centre functioning in the private school premises at Ammapet near Attur in Salem.

The incident of suicide came to light, when his roommate Balaji (18) returned from his hometown of Attur after the holidays on Monday at around 11 am and was shocked to find Chandru hanging.

On receiving information, the Attur police rushed to the spot and sent the body for a post-mortem at Attur Government Hospital. The boy’s parents Murugan, a goldsmith, and Roja grieved inconsolably at the loss of their only son since four others are daughters.

Salem District Collector S Karmegam, Superintendent of Police R Siva Kumar, and other officials visited the hostel and coaching centre for an inquiry. Police scrutinised images recorded on CCTV’s and found Chandru going into his room carrying a chair and a rope with a plan to commit suicide.

Police said Chandru, who passed out Class 12 in 2021 from a private school in Kallakurichi district had already made two unsuccessful attempts in the NEET exam.

“He was stressed over his third attempt and was worried if he could get through this time. He frequently lamented to his friends that NEET was tough,” police said.

As parents gathered at the school to take away their children, a large number of police personnel were deployed as a precaution. The Attur Rural police have registered a case and further inquiries are on.